Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a state in East Asia. Neighbouring states include the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the west, Japan to the north-east, and the Philippines to the south. The island of Taiwan has an area of , with mountain ranges dominating the eastern two thirds and plains in the western third, where its highly urbanised population is concentrated. Taipei is the capital and largest metropolitan area. Other major cities include Kaohsiung, Taichung, Tainan and Taoyuan. With 23.7 million inhabitants, Taiwan is among the most densely populated states, and is the most populous state and largest economy that is not a member of the United Nations (UN). Taiwanese indigenous peoples settled the island of Taiwan around 6,000 years ago. In the 17th century, Dutch rule opened the island to mass Han immigration. After a brief rule by the Kingdom of Tungning, the island was annexed in 1683 by the Qing dynasty of China, and ceded to the Empire of Japan in 1895. Following the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Republic of China, which had overthrown and succeeded the Qing in 1911, took control of Taiwan on behalf of the World War II Allies. The resumption of the Chinese Civil War led to the loss of the mainland to the Communist Party of China and the flight of the ROC government to Taiwan in 1949. Although the ROC government continued to claim to be the legitimate representative of China, since 1950 its effective jurisdiction has been limited to Taiwan and several small islands. In the early 1960s, Taiwan entered a period of rapid economic growth and industrialization called the "Taiwan Miracle". In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the ROC transitioned from a one-party military dictatorship to a multi-party democracy with a semi-presidential system. Taiwan's export-oriented industrial economy is the 21st-largest in the world, with major contributions from steel, machinery, electronics and chemicals manufacturing. Taiwan is a developed country, ranking 15th in GDP per capita. It is ranked highly in terms of political and civil liberties, education, health care and human development. The political status of Taiwan remains uncertain. The ROC is no longer a member of the UN, having been replaced by the PRC in 1971. Taiwan is claimed by the PRC, which refuses diplomatic relations with countries which recognise the ROC. Taiwan maintains official ties with 16 out of 193 UN member states. International organisations in which the PRC participates either refuse to grant membership to Taiwan or allow it to participate only as a non-state actor. Taiwan is a member of the World Trade Organization, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Asian Development Bank under various names. Nearby countries and countries with large economies maintain unofficial ties with Taiwan through representative offices and institutions that function as de facto embassies and consulates. Domestically, the major political division is between parties favouring eventual Chinese unification and promoting a Chinese identity contrasted with those aspiring to independence and promoting Taiwanese identity, although both sides have moderated their positions to broaden their appeal. Pingxi Area Pingxi District (Chinese: 平溪區; pinyin: Píngxī Qū; Wade–Giles: P'ing-hsi; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Pêng-khoe khu; historically spelled Pinghsi), is a rural district in New Taipei, Taiwan. The source of the Keelung River is in Jingtong, which is inside Pingxi District. It was an important coal mining town in the early 20th century. Pingxi is served by Pingxi Line of the Taiwan Railways, out of which it includes the Shifen Waterfall and Jiufen. The Shifen Old Street is one of the principle, of the shared walkway, road and railway in space-saving measures, as well as lighting up the lanterns by various people around, such as Deborah Chiu and Angeline Wong in April 2017. Angeline also went to Pingxi and Taipei area before going to meet Shin Ru, Annabel and Lifen at Seoul for the grad trip. Tamsui Tamsui District is a sea-side district of New Taipei, Taiwan. Following the completion of Tamsui Metro line in 1997, the town have experienced an increase in tourist traffic, reflected in completion of several riverside parks, the growth of open-air markets, the construction of fisherman's wharf, and the increase in passenger ferries traversing across and on to the river. Xinbeitou Xinbeitou Branch Line is an elevated, high-capacity branch line of the Tamsui Line. It first opened for service on 28 March 1997. The line is 1.2 km (0.75 mi) long and consists of two stations. The origins for the line can be traced as far back as 1916, where its predecessor line of a similar route was built and operated by the Taiwan Railway Administration (also called the Xinbeitou Line). It was last operated on 15 July 1988 by diesel units before ceasing service for construction of the metro line. On 28 March 1997, the line re-opened for service as part of the Taipei Metro. A modified C301 (trainset 013/014) originally operated on the line in a 3-car formation, making it unique on the system. From 2007 onwards, the train was replaced by a purpose-built C371 of a similar length. The station is known for being the closest to the Beitou hot springs, such as Beitou Hot Spring Museum, Beitou Plum Garden, Ketaglan Culture Center, Beitou Hot Springs, Beitou Park and Sushi Express restaurant. Just north of the station, there are crossovers between the Tamsui Line and the Xinbeitou Branch Line, and between the tracks of each individual line, in both directions. Also to the north, the two Tamsui Line tracks cross over each other not at grade. Around the station, there is Beitou Park. South of Beitou, the four tracks merge into two and cross over each other at a flying junction, and there are crossovers to allow trains from Daan to terminate here. Taipei 101 The Taipei 101 (Chinese: 臺北101; pinyin: Táiběi yī líng yī; stylized as TAIPEI 101) formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center (臺北國際金融中心), is a supertall skyscraper designed by C.Y. Lee & Partners and built by KTRT Joint Venture in Xinyi, Taipei, Taiwan. This building was officially classified as the world's tallest from its opening in 2004 until the 2010 completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its elevators, capable of 60.6 km/h (37.7 mph) used to transport passengers from the 5th to 89th floor in 37 seconds, set new records. In 2011 Taipei 101 received a Platinum rating under the LEED certification system to become the tallest and largest green building in the world. The structure regularly appears as an icon of Taipei in international media, and the Taipei 101 fireworks displays are a regular feature of New Year's Eve broadcasts. Taipei 101's postmodernist architectural style evokes Asian traditions in a modern structure employing industrial materials. Its design incorporates a number of features that enable the structure to withstand the Pacific Rim's earthquakes and the region's tropical storms. The tower houses offices and restaurants as well as both indoor and outdoor observatories. The tower is adjoined by a multi-level shopping mall that claims the world's largest ruyi symbol as an exterior feature. Taipei 101 is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation. The skyscraper opened on 31 December 2004. Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground, as well as 5 basement levels. It was not only the first building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height, but also the world's tallest building from 31 March 2004 to 10 March 2010, and it is still the world's largest and highest use green building, not including the radio masts - the Warsaw Radio mast was the one before it collapsed on 8 August 1991 (at a height of 646.38m). Upon its completion, Taipei 101 was the world's tallest inhabited building, at 509.2 m (1,671 ft) as measured to its height architectural top (spire), exceeding the Petronas Towers, which were previously the tallest inhabited skyscraper at 451.9 m (1,483 ft). The height to the top of the roof, at 449.2 m (1,474 ft), and highest occupied floor, at 439.2 m (1,441 ft), surpassed the previous records of 442 m (1,450 ft) and 412.4 m (1,353 ft), respectively; the Willis Tower had previously held that distinction. It also surpassed the 85-story, 347.5 m (1,140 ft) Tuntex Sky Tower in Kaohsiung as the tallest building in Taiwan and the 51-story, 244.15 m (801 ft) Shin Kong Life Tower as the tallest building in Taipei. Taipei 101 claimed the official records for the world's tallest sundial and the world's largest New Year's Eve countdown clock. Various sources, including the building's owners, give the height of Taipei 101 as 508 m (1,667 ft), roof height and top floor height as 448 m (1,470 ft) and 438 m (1,437 ft). This lower figure is derived by measuring from the top of a 1.2 m (4 ft) platform at the base. CTBUH standards, though, include the height of the platform in calculating the overall height, as it represents part of the man-made structure and is above the level of the surrounding pavement. Taipei 101 displaced the Petronas Towers as the tallest building in the world by 57.3 m (188 ft). The record it claimed for greatest height from ground to pinnacle was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is 829.8 m (2,722 ft) in height. Taipei 101's records for roof height and highest occupied floor briefly passed to the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2008, which in turn yielded these records as well to the Burj. Taipei 101 is designed to withstand the typhoon winds and earthquake tremors that are common in the area east of Taiwan. Evergreen Consulting Engineering, the structural engineer, designed Taipei 101 to withstand gale winds of 60 metres per second (197 ft/s), (216 km/h or 134 mph), as well as the strongest earthquakes in a 2,500-year cycle. Taipei 101 was designed to be flexible as well as structurally resistant, because while flexibility prevents structural damage, resistance ensures comfort for the occupants and for the protection of glass, curtain walls, and other features. Most designs achieve the necessary strength by enlarging critical structural elements such as bracing. Because of the height of Taipei 101, combined with the surrounding area's geology—the building is located just 660 ft (200 m) away from a major fault line—Taipei 101 used high-performance steel construction and 36 columns, including eight "mega-columns" packed with 10,000 psi (69 MPa) concrete. Outrigger trusses, located at eight-floor intervals, connect the columns in the building's core to those on the exterior. Taipei 101 is the first record-setting skyscraper to be constructed in the 21st century. It exhibits a number of technologically advanced features as it provides a center for business and recreation. The original 2004 fiber-optic and satellite Internet connections permitted transfer speeds up to a gigabit per second. A tenant directory is posted in the first floor lobby (along the Xinyi entrance). The number 4 is considered the unlucky number in Chinese culture, so what would have been the 44th floor has been replaced by Level 43, with 42A replacing the actual 43 to compensate for the skipped floor number. As of 1 January 2011, the highest occupied office floor (excluding the observatory and restaurants) was 75. The building appears to be at least 70 percent occupied at this point. There is a freight elevator that stops at every level from B5 to 91, with a button for every floor. The 92nd through 100th floors are officially designated as communication floors, although it's unknown if there are any radio or TV stations currently broadcasting from the top of Taipei 101. The 101st floor indoor/outdoor rooftop observatory opened to the public on June 14, 2019. The top 10 floors are to have stated on their website to contain a radio and television relay station, Emergency system receiving/signaling relay station, telecommunications stations, and an outdoor antenna frame on 96F, which offers power, fire protection, telecom systems, and security related systems, according to their website. The 101st floor is home to a private VIP club named Summit 101, according to the observatory brochure. Before 2014, no information about this club was ever made public. In 2014, photos of the exclusive club were shown on TV for the first time. A Taipei Financial Center Corporation spokesman said that only foreign dignitaries, Hollywood film actors, and high spenders in the Taipei 101 Mall (over NT $1 million in purchases) had been invited to the VIP club. Access to the 101st floor requires two elevator transfers on the 89th and 93rd floors, respectively. There is only one service elevator that facilitates access to the top nine floors (93–101). The 101st floor is divided into three levels: 101F (lower), 101MF (mezzanine) and 101RF (roof). The VIP club exists on the lower level, while 101RF, a mechanical floor, provides access to the 60-metre tall spire, which has 24 levels (numbered R1 through R24) that can only be accessed via ladder. Transport Railways in Taiwan are primarily used for passenger services, with Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) operating a circular route and Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) running high speed services on the west coast. Urban transit systems include Taipei Metro, Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Taoyuan Metro and New Taipei Metro. Metro Airports Major airports include Taipei Taoyuan, Taipei Songshan and Kaohsiung. Formerly known as Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, it was renamed on 6 September 2006. The airport was built in 1978. The Terminal 1 is built in 1978 and Terminal 2 is built in 2000. Construction of Terminal 3 is part of the expansion project of Taoyuan International Airport, which is going to be completed in 2020. Originally part of the expansion project was a new Terminal 4. However, due to the vast amount of construction, the Ministry of Transportation ordered the airport company to halt the project in order to minimize traveller inconvenience. Airlines that fly towards Taipei Taoyuan include Scoot, Singapore Airlines and EVA Air. The Taoyuan Airport MRT, opened on 1 March 2017, provides connectivity to Taipei and Taoyuan City. Free Wi-Fi and wireless charging are provided in the trains, and have downtown check-in and luggage facilities at Taipei Main Station.